A San Diego Superior Court hearing scheduled for March 13 no longer will concern placement in Ramona but instead will focus on where else in the county Hedge might live.

Last week, hundreds of angry Ramona residents packed a community center to express their dismay that Hedge soon might be living among them.

On Friday, a day after the public meeting, property owner Charles Koppa, a real estate agent, said he was tearing up the agreement he signed a month earlier. Without the landlord's cooperation, Kincaid said, the deal is off.

Hedge pleaded guilty in 1989 to molesting two boys, ages 6 and 10, and two girls, ages 9 and 13. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Investigative reports indicated he also had exposed himself to children at elementary schools. Hedge has been designated as a sexually violent predator.

He since has completed years of therapy at a state hospital and has been deemed ready for closely monitored release as an outpatient. Hedge must be released under a court order.

What worries authorities is that if a house cannot be found in the county, Hedge could be released anyway.

Kincaid and Deputy District Attorney Phyllis Shess said that scenario has happened before. One man deemed to be a sexually violent predator is essentially homeless in Santa Barbara County, where he lives in a travel trailer that he moves periodically.

Community opposition in Santa Barbara County has made it impossible to find a permanent place for him to live.

Such a situation makes it difficult to supervise an offender's movements, Kincaid said. –J.H.J.

Marksmanship training
to continue on campuses

SAN DIEGO: Students who receive marksmanship training on San Diego campuses were granted a reprieve last night.

The school board will allow them to continue the activity through the end of the school year, despite a vote two weeks ago to immediately end the practice, in which air rifles are used to shoot at targets.

Critics urged the board to end the training because they contend schools send a mixed message by adopting zero-tolerance policies toward guns, while still allowing marksmanship programs.

Defenders of the training argue that only select students are allowed to participate, and rigid safety and security procedures are in place to ensure that no one is injured.

Dozens of students spoke before the board. The end of the training has been rescheduled for the fall. –J.V.

House bill would provide
needed courthouse funds

DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO: The delayed federal courthouse in downtown San Diego could get rolling again if legislation including $110.36 million for the project moves ahead today.

A U.S. House of Representatives appropriations bill carries money for the project, which has been stalled since 2007.

“Hopefully, this closes the door on getting funding for the courthouse and opens the door on the construction for this much-needed judicial building,” said Rep. Susan Davis, D-San Diego, who pushed for the money. “It certainly has been a long road from there to here.”

The federal government had approved $230 million to build a 16-story building on Broadway between State and Union streets. Soaring materials and labor costs pushed up price estimates to $310 million in 2007. The current estimate is $368.7 million.

Congress and then-President George W. Bush tried to include extra money for the project in their budgets for the past two years, but to no avail.

For the courthouse to get the funding this time, the House bill would have to be agreed upon by the U.S. Senate and be signed by the president. –J.S.

Two men now in running
for county assessor's job

SAN DIEGO: The four-man field vying to become the county's next Assessor-Recorder-Clerk has been whittled to two.

The Board of Supervisors yesterday selected two finalists – acting Assessor Dave Butler and Jeffrey Olson, the office's division chief for assessment services – after a brief public hearing.

The longtime colleagues will advance to a final hearing Tuesday, when the supervisors will select the winner, who will serve the remaining two years of former Assessor Greg Smith's term.

The winner would face an election in 2010.

Candidates needed votes from at least three of the five supervisors to advance. Butler received a vote from each, while Olson was backed by all but Supervisor Pam Slater-Price.

The other two candidates – Richard Grudman and Howard Johnson – did not receive a single vote. –C.G.

Elior, one of the foremost experts on Jewish mysticism, has written 13 books and has taught at Princeton, Yeshiva and Michigan universities.

The cost is $10 and is open to the public. Information: (619) 420-6040 or bethsholomtemple.com. –D.B.

County seeks comments
on its conservation plan

San Diego County recently released the first draft of its North County Multiple Species Conservation Plan for public comment.

The plan is an attempt to provide habitat corridors for 63 plant and animal species in a 294,849-acre area stretching from Camp Pendleton to Ramona.

County officials tout the blueprint as a way to preserve native vegetation and wildlife while allowing for commercial and residential development. They expect to eventually submit a revised version to the county Board of Supervisors for approval by the end of 2010.

To review the document and get details about how to file comments, go to sdcounty.ca.gov/dplu/mscp. –M.L.